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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · board · pass · mark · rock · trunk · club · mine

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rock — music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. club — a group
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. club — for dancing
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. club — for golf
  21. cold — not warm
  22. board — to get on
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com